US envoy headed to Cairo to aid in Gaza talks

US envoy Frank Lowenstein was due in Cairo on Wednesday night to try to help Egyptian-mediated talks between Israel and the Palestinians find a lasting end to their conflict over the Gaza Strip, the US State Department said.

Lowenstein is the acting US special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

"We, along with our partners, are working to find a way forward that brings an end to the violence and addresses the underlying causes of this crisis," State Department spokesman Edgar Vasquez said in announcing the trip.